Conventionally, mixing and formulation of medications is a pharmacy or other medical laboratory performed function most often involving use of laminar flow hoods and strict aseptic technique to maintain sterility. In pharmacies, medical solutions are often passed through a medical grade sterilizing filter to assure an aseptic condition. Resulting products from these facilities are highly regarded and widely used in hospitals and other clinical facilities.
However, today, a significant portion of medical practice takes place outside sophisticated medical institutions. As an example, a new and very effective eye-wash technology is based upon mixing autologous blood serum with normal saline in exacting proportions. Commonly, blood is drawn from patients in a wide range of areas remote from pharmacies and laboratories. The expense and inconvenience of relying on such facilities to sterilize and mix is prohibitive, negatively affecting broader application of this promising technology. Thus, there exists a severe contemporary need for a process or methodology, not currently available commercially, which can, with appropriate safety and efficacy, provide such sterilizing, dispensing and mixing in a field environment.
Convenience kits have become commonly used appliances for a number of reasons. First, a convenience kit is specifically made for a given application. Contents of each such kits are prepared and provided in a form which generally reduces procedure steps and improves efficiency. Second, such kits can provide additional safety such as the kit disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 9,449,521, titled METHODS FOR MAKING AND USING A VIAL SHIELDING CONVENIENCE KIT, issued May 28, 2013, which proved effective in providing additional safety to technicians and patients by keeping hazardous drug fumes and liquid fully contained.